YORK will have at least three semi-finalists in the men's pairs of the York Open Bowls Tournament, which got underway in steady rain.

York duo Tex Stevens and Gary Bunce were first through to the last four. They encountered J Moulds and S Winter (Hull), the York pair winning 21-13 to play either the pairing of Pool and Quanton or Sharpley and Thornton. That outstanding quarter-final will be played tomorrow.

In another quarter-final Haxby Road's Eddie Howcroft and Frank Turner turned on the style to comfortably beat J Lison and R Kemp (Hornsea) 28-7.

The other quarter-final between John Berridge (Bert Keech) and Gordon Walker (Hull Road) and father and son B and J Darley (Cleethorpes) was a very strange affair.

The Darleys led 9-1 after six ends. But a longer length of jack completely turned the tie on its head with the York pair scoring 24 shots to three over the next 11 ends before the game was conceded after 18 ends.

Berridge and Walker now meet Howcroft and Turner in the other semi-final, scheduled for tomorrow.

Earlier in the third round, the young pretenders Phil Scott (Bert Keech) and Stephen Long (Haxby Road) were paired against J Lison and R Kemp (Hornsea).

Unfortunately the youngsters lost 18-17 after holding shot until the last wood of the game.

The Darley duo had scraped through by one shot against J Scott and J Anderson.

Meanwhile, 11-year-old Scott Burrell and Paul Humphreys had enjoyed a wonderful tournament in which they overcame a lot of good bowlers before they finally met their match in Berridge and Walker.

Having trailed 22-11, they lost 23-22 despite Humphrey having a chance for an extra end only to fail to draw to a yard of the ditch for an extra shot.

One of the highlights of the second round was a gem of a tie between Stevens and Bunce, who prevailed 26-15 over the pairing of Graham Brooke and Stuart Bryan.

Updated: 09:56 Thursday, July 31, 2003